The NFC North and the number one seed in the NFC are on the line as the Minnesota Vikings take on the Detroit Lions on Sunday night.
This is a massive game for both teams and a situation that both have been in over the last decade. The Vikings beat the Green Bay Packers for the NFC North at the end of the 2015 season while the Lions lost to the Packers in a game for the NFC North in 2016 and knocked the Packers out of the playoffs at the end of the 2022 season after being knocked out earlier in the day themselves.
This game is just a little different. The winner gets home-field advantage while the loser plays on the road, likely against the NFC South winner. That’s a lot of stakes for one singular game.
To preview the game, I talked to each writer from our NFC North beat writers, who know this division best.
There are so many layers to this game. The Vikings and Lions both have high-powered offenses, with the Lions being more consistent in moving the football and the Vikings being a shot-play-based unit. The one area where they don’t have equal footing is the defense.
The biggest difference between this matchup and the first one is injuries. The Lions are decimated on defense, but the Vikings are coming in pretty healthy. The biggest difference is inside linebacker Blake Cashman. The Vikings are 13-0 with him in the lineup and 1-2 without. The biggest factor in the first game was Jared Goff’s ability to attack the middle of the field, and his presence will be the biggest factor in the Vikings’ getting the win.
I think this game will be a lot like the last one and that’s a back-and-forth affair where not teams put up points. Right now there is no team putting up more points than the Lions and the Vikings’ defense, as good as it is, tends to be tailored towards Jared Goff’s strengths. It’s a big reason the Lions have won the last four matchups in a row.
Couple that with the insane atmosphere that Ford Field is going to be and you have to go with the home team holding the ball on the final drive and winning the game on a Jake Bates field goal.
Of the four units on the field, three are playing at an extremely high level. The one that is not is the Detroit Lions’ defense. You obviously understand the reasons for that with so many injuries, but part of the season down the stretch always comes down to who is healthier.
The Vikings have a top defense to limit the Lions’ efficient offense, and Kevin O’Connell is able to put together a great plan to perfectly utilize his amazing weaponry.
It’s an exciting game, but I would expect a Vikings win.
Kole Noble, Bears beat writer
Lions 38, Vikings 32
This has the potential to be one of the best regular season games in recent memory to conclude the regular season. Both because of what’s at stake and the high-powered potential of the two teams. Each team’s offense ranks inside the Top-10 in points per game and stars are going to be all over the field. This will also be the final opportunity for Jared Goff and Sam Darnold to try and make a last-minute push for the MVP award.
The real difference in this game is going to be on the defensive side of the ball. Brian Flores’ unit is going to create a real challenge for the Lions’ offense, but Detroit was still able to put up 31 the last time these two teams met back in Week 7. For Detroit, the Lions’ defense has allowed 30+ in three of their last four games. This has shootout written all over it, and I’m going to have to side with Dan Campbell’s gritty squad in a close high-scoring affair.
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